Don't post much so I don't know who you are but there isn't much to sugar coat. Been a Sox fan since 1975 always will be. Still root everyday there's a game. Have to admit this is getting really hard to watch though. Don't have any answers and don't care to try and come up with any. Although, I could care less if Beckett plays golf. I do care when he lays an egg like that tonight. What the heck is going on with the starters. John Lackey is actually starting to look good. Whatever, I'll just keep rooting and hope. Very disappointing so far to say the least.

In Response to Re: Calling All Sugar Coaters.... : What's disengenous? All that I said is that I feel most of the players are trying and playing hard so I'm still going to root for them. I'm not going to turn on the entire team just because of one or two bad seeds. Let's assume that everything you say about Beckett is 100 percent correct. Why should I let one player make me turn against everyone else, which some posters seem to want. I just ripped Buchholz and Lester on the game thread for not manning up and controlling their own fate, so why should I let Beckett control what I do.Posted by royf19

don't worry ROY I understand were you are coming from, some people will hate for the sake of hating no matter how many times you try to explain your opinion they still wont accept the fact you think differently than they do.

on to the topic of Beckett, he is a cancer on this team. No matter what he says or does he can't help this team, as a matter of fact he just makes things worse. Then this whole golfing issue with Buch now in the mix is like watching a sinking ship. It's too bad because, as much as many would love to just dump this guy, it's not going to happen. No one wants to take on that contract or have that type of "team leader" in their clubhouse.

In Response to Re: Calling All Sugar Coaters.... : Don't post much so I don't know who you are but there isn't much to sugar coat. Been a Sox fan since 1975 always will be. Still root everyday there's a game. Have to admit this is getting really hard to watch though. Don't have any answers and don't care to try and come up with any. Although, I could care less if Beckett plays golf. I do care when he lays an egg like that tonight. What the heck is going on with the starters. John Lackey is actually starting to look good. Whatever, I'll just keep rooting and hope. Very disappointing so far to say the least. Posted by Since75

Hey there - I believe we are on the same page....Nice to hear from you....

Josh Beckett has posted quality starts in four of his six outings this year but two bad starts have inflated his season ERA to 5.97.

Correct, and the pitching staff was solid in the last game. The fact is that the offense had another pitiful 3 earned run night. Game innings log and each game log is all that matters, not "year long team ERA".

Josh Beckett has posted quality starts in four of his six outings this year but two bad starts have inflated his season ERA to 5.97. Beckett may never be likeable, but the Red Sox need to stick with him (and have few viable alternatives).Posted by hill55

I think it's gone beyond unlikable. Beckett looks to me like a guy paving his way out of town like Nomar and Manny.

Calling all you delusional sugar coaters........I am dying to hear your take on Josh Beckett's start tonight...........
Posted by andrewmitch

He made some early mistakes, but "the ball came out of his hand very well", and he said "he felt good", and that his "stuff was there, just a little off on location"......etc. Or was that Lackey? I forget.

Eh, I was just expecting someone to throw some stats around trying to demonstrate that the Beckett contract represents a good value and perhaps something to the effect that "compared to other team's 'aces' or '#2's" he's just as good or better".........I was really looking forward to that.....guess I'll have to watch the train wreck that is on NESN now....Posted by andrewmitch

That is what they did with Lackey in 2010 in reference to a #2 or #3 but by the middle of 2011 they were sating he was a good value for a #5. lol. Pathetic.

In Response to Re: Calling All Sugar Coaters.... : Why do you laugh at that? If you don't want to root for them then don't. You shouldn't be on this forum then. Try a Rays forum they're doing good ;)Posted by zack5042

beckett had too much time off....this is about as much criticism Valentine is allowed to say these days...he should just fall on his sword and quit...that would be more honorable than having to deal with this entitled, lifeless crew....he looked like a defeated man in the post game interview and i felt sad for him...

1) It starts at the top, with ownership. In case you've missed my umpteen posts on the matter, I don't like them. Not one bit. The greed, over commercialization, lack of accountability themselves and not holding players accountable, the back stabbing, and the outright lying to fan's faces that they expect people to buy, which some sadly do.

2) Bobby V. Come to not dislike him as a person, but his mere presence in Boston underlines my above point by how ownership cut out the legs of their OWN GM with this bogus hire. Also, he, apparently, ha no backbone. By design or by order, I have no idea, but anything mildly controversial he says, he immediately back tracks. THat is NOT what was expected out of him.

3) The players don't do it for me. There aren't a whole lot of truly unlikeable players, but there are definitely some, but this is not a good GROUP of players. In fact, I'd venture to call this one of the most poorly constructed group of individuals I've seen in quite some time. Players that I truly root for are few, and many more I'm very indifferent to. Hard to care much about a Ross or Aviles when they'll be here for another few months, maybe one more year. Middlebrooks and all the kids are fun to watch, I wanted to see MORE of them since 2010 when the Sox truly lost their way. Guys that have proven it, in Boston, are being discarded every year for other parts, often with disastrous results. Pap out, Bailey in. VMart/Beltre out, Crawford in. Scutaro out, Aviles in (on the field, fine, in the clubhouse I wonder how much losing Scut has hurt). Ellsbury over, Cameron in. Lackey? So many bizarre moves.